Anna Wintour,
OBE (born 3 November 1949) is the English-born editor-in-chief of American
Vogue, a position she has held since 1988. With her trademark
pageboy bob haircut and sunglasses, Wintour has become an institution throughout the fashion world, widely praised for her eye for fashion trends and her support for younger
designers. Her reportedly aloof and demanding personality has earned her the nickname "Nuclear Wintour". She is the eldest daughter of
Charles Wintour, editor of the London
Evening Standard. Her father consulted her on how to make the newspaper relevant to the youth of the era. Anna became interested in fashion as a teenager. Her career in
fashion journalism began at two British magazines. Later she moved to the United States, with stints at
New York and
House & Garden. She returned home for a year to turn around British
Vogue, and later assumed control of the franchise's magazine in New York, reviving what many saw as a stagnating publication. Her use of the magazine to shape the fashion industry has been the subject of debate within it.
Animal rights activists have attacked her for promoting fur, while other critics have charged her with using the magazine to promote elitist views of femininity and beauty. A former personal assistant,
Lauren Weisberger, wrote the 2003 best selling
roman à clef The Devil Wears Prada, later made into a successful
film starring
Meryl Streep as
Miranda Priestly, a fashion editor believed to be based on Wintour. In 2009 she was the focus of another film,
R.J. Cutler's documentary
The September Issue.
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